Request for Consultant: Market Shaping for Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) Bauchi State, Nigeria

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too. 

We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.

1.2. Multiple Micronutrient Supplement Project Overview:

 

Micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition in pregnant women contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight, small for gestational age, and preterm births. Supplementation of iron and folic acid (IFA) has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be included in antenatal care (ANC) programs, for the prevention of anemia. However, multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) have proven to be a more cost-effective option that provides both IFA and additional micronutrients.

 

The “Market Shaping for Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS)” project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aims to build a holistic evidence, advocacy, and market shaping strategy for the introduction and scale-up of MMS in Nigeria and Ethiopia. This project will develop an evidence and advocacy roadmap, which will focus on evidence strategy, demand generation and advocacy strategy ; and a market shaping roadmap, which will look at the regulatory, financing, supply and demand strategies to scale up MMS.

2.     The Opportunity

 

R4D is looking for a consultant, based in Bauchi, Nigeria with proven experience on evidence generation, demand generation and advocacy, and market shaping, to support the R4D team to facilitate collaborative development of evidence strategy, demand generation and advocacy strategy, and market shaping roadmap for introduction and scale-up of MMS in Bauchi State. The consultant will work closely with the R4D team in Abuja and Washington, DC. 

2.1 Duties and Responsibilities

• The consultant’s responsibilities fit into three inter-related workstreams: evidence generation, demand generation and advocacy, and market shaping.


Facilitate the co-creation of an evidence generation strategy for Bauchi
• Support the identification of a small working group of key stakeholders and technical experts to identify primary stakeholders responsible for decisions leading to MMS scale-up, determine what evidence is needed to inform the appropriate decisions, and build a strategy that lays out steps to be taken to leverage existing evidence or generate additional relevant and required evidence.
• In line with the evidence strategy, synthesize existing evidence and transfer them into a sharable document to be at the hand of the key champions and decision makers.
Facilitate the development of a Demand Generation and KOL Advocacy Strategy
• Review available market landscapes, program experiences, operational research, and other literature (on MMS as well as IFA) and synthesize evidence on demand side barriers and factors influencing MMS uptake and adherence
• Conduct interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) to generate demand with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and selected segments of service providers
• Develop an evidence-informed demand generation and KOL advocacy strategy that introduces MMS in Bauchi including channels and messages for audiences, and clear advocacy actions and messages for key opinion leaders to continue to champion the scale-up of MMS
Facilitate the development of a Market Shaping Strategy
• Collect qualitative and quantitative data on the regulatory, financing, supply and demand landscape for IFA and MMS in Bauchi State.
• Develop a market shaping strategy with stakeholders and the R4D team which includes a regulatory strategy, product financing plan, procurement strategy, and supplier engagement plan.

2.2 Illustrative Deliverables

• Evidence generation:
• Mapping of key evidence and stakeholders within MMS/IFA landscape
• Evidence Strategy with clear recommendation including packaging of existing evidence and generation of new evidence.
• Demand generation and KOL advocacy:
• Summary of demand generation and advocacy gaps
• Stakeholder mapping, consisting of potential allies, key influencers, and target audience for nutrition advocacy.
• Demand generation and advocacy strategy for MMS, to potentially include: standard operating procedures (SOPs), updating clinical protocols, advocacy actions, SBCC communication tools, and others
• Market shaping roadmap for MMS, to include: a regulatory strategy, a product financing plan, a procurement strategy, and a supplier engagement plan, all informed by desk research and stakeholder consultations

2.3 Qualifications:

• 
  
• Master’s degree in public health, public policy, nutrition or related fields.
• A minimum of 7 years of experience working in the public health and nutrition sector, in Nigeria (Bauchi State preferred). Proven experience of conducting operational research in health and nutrition;
• Relevant experience in demand generation, advocacy and evidence generation for policy decision-making
• Strong existing relationships with priority partners in Bauchi’s health and nutrition sector, including stakeholders at the Ministry of Health, state-level procurement agency, NAFDAC, implementing partners, donors, as well as clinicians and patients at the health facility level.
• Strong organizational skills, and ability to lead a workstream, working both independently and in cooperation with a multicultural team.
• Relevant computer software skills (including, at a minimum, the standard applications in MS Office).
• Proficient in both communicative writing and technical writing.


Strongly desired:
• A strong background in and knowledge of health and especially nutrition commodities, including regulatory systems, financing, procurement, quality, and the supplier landscape in Nigeria (Bauchi State preferred).  
• Experience in collecting and analyzing financing, quantification and procurement data for health and nutrition products.
• Demonstrated expertise in conducting analysis for efficient and effective introduction and/or scale-up of nutrition commodities.
• Experience conducting analysis using a hypothesis-driven approach and developing relevant solutions in an iterative manner.
• Experience with the use of mass media and social networks to influence and gain public support, and the negotiation and formation of all alliances across interest groups




2.4 Period of Performance
• In this role, the Consultant will work closely with a variety of state-level stakeholders and members of the R4D market shaping team in Nigeria, and Washington D.C. to carry out the above-mentioned activities for Phase 1 of the work, i.e., between February 2023 and September 2023, with a possibility of extension to Phase 2 (planned for October 2023 – May 2025) based on performance and fit.


• Over the course of the consultancy, R4D estimates an average of 15 days of work per month . However, this estimate is only meant to provide an illustrative estimate of expectations. Given the nature of this work, the actual days of work per month may fluctuate and will be determined by the specific activities agreed upon between the Consultant and R4D. The Consultant will be required to submit a timesheet each month and will be reimbursed based on documented hours worked.


• Interested applicants should please provide their resume/CV and indicate their daily rate in the application.

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and nurturing an energetic, collaborative and diverse workforce. R4D provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits.